Council members differ on I-759 extension's future

The Interstate 759 extension in East Gadsden seems stuck in an extended delay, and two Gadsden councilmen have different ideas about the project's future.

By Andy PowellTimes Staff Writer

The Interstate 759 extension in East Gadsden seems stuck in an extended delay, and two Gadsden councilmen have different ideas about the project's future.Councilman Billy Harris at Tuesday's council meeting said he will continue to lobby state officials about moving forward on extending I-759 to Meighan Boulevard (U.S. Highway 431/278).Councilman Deverick Williams, on the other hand, said “reasonable alternatives” should be considered to help with traffic congestion on Meighan and Hood Avenue, since funding for the project is questionable.Williams, speaking first during council comments, said he supported some of what Harris said at last week's Gadsden-Etowah Metropolitan Planning Organization meeting. Harris expressed frustration about the lack of progress since proposed routes for the extension were introduced eight years ago.However, Williams added, “I truly believe the I-759 project ... exceeds the capacity of the MPO setting. I don't know that the MPO setting is going to be sufficient to see that one through.”The estimated cost of the project is $100 million, and Williams said there's no “reasonable prospect” of those funds being available in the short run.So, he said, officials should look for “alternative methods ... to deal with our well-documented capacity and safety issues.”Williams said the majority of auto accidents in Gadsden occur on Meighan and Hood, and funds should be sought from the Alabama Department of Transportation to help alleviate problems in those areas, completely separate from the I-759 expansion issue.“... If the $100 million project is not an option for us, then what are some reasonable alternatives?” Williams asked, adding that “sabre rattling” won't produce progress on the I-759 expansion.“I think you truly have to leverage our relationships, both in Montgomery and in Washington, to procure those kinds of dollars for that size of a project,” he said.Harris countered that he will continue to speak up about the I-759 expansion and why it is needed.“I have done it with congressmen, I have done it with our legislators, we have done it with MPO, we have done it with the national highway authority who is responsible for this, we have done it with everyone,” he said. Harris said the project has been on the board for 20 years and needs to be completed, because the growth of retail industry in Gadsden depends on how well the city can handle and direct traffic.“The people in East Gadsden have been very ... thoughtful and wishful and considerate,” he said of the prospect of an I-759 expansion. But even though city and state officials, other organizations and the residents of the area have come together on a route, “it just runs into a dead end,”Harris reiterated the fear he expressed at the MPO meeting that the expansion wouldn't be completed in his lifetime, but said he still thinks it's necessary and will continue arguing for it even though 10 projects across the state could be funded with its price tag.“... I'll still rattle the sabres wherever I go,” he said, “to try to make them understand how important that project is to us — to the people in East Gadsden who are seriously affected by it and the city of Gadsden (that) needs it for economic development.”

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